Anthropoid

I consider The Assassination from Jiří Sequens to be one of the best domestic films ever, and perhaps that is why I was slightly afraid of Anthropoid. Fortunately, there was nothing to worry about. Despite the accents (you can get used to them, but I hope that the best possible dubbing will be created), the film has everything it should have: A comprehensible and more or less untwisted story seen exclusively through the eyes of Gabčík and Kubiš, the great period atmosphere that Renč's Lída Baarová, for example, can only dream of, and, fortunately, also a huge narrative value for the familiar Czech and for the unsuspecting foreign viewer. I can't imagine how crushing the second half must be for someone who knows nothing about Anthropoid. The strain is palpable in the end, the shootout in the church absolutely riveting and the flooding of the crypt so hopeless... It brings tears to your eyes, and thanks to Sean Ellis, nothing that happens feels the slightest bit ridiculous. It's also more than pleasant that the Czech actors are definitely not lost next to the British aces, even Anna Geislerová was a good fit for Prague 1941/1942, and I have to say that she looked very good in the period, and I recommend Robin Foster's interestingly modern soundtrack for independent listening. (30/09/2016)

Of course we would prefer if it was made by Spielberg or Polanski with their elegant optics and artistic touch. Anthropoid has nothing like that. But let’s be glad Sean Ellis made it into at least a decent action thriller. The actors are fine given that the screenplay doesn’t give them much to work with and the period atmosphere is captured well. Ellis also gives it the necessary momentum, like a mechanical but skillful cameraman who knows how to achieve both dynamics and fluidity. The climax in the cathedral is satisfactorily long and precisely escalated. And the main thing: when watching Anthropoid, I was proud for a moment that I come from Czechoslovakia. (04/10/2016)

The first movie about Czechs in a long time that we needn’t feel embarrassed about. Operation Anthropoid was a purely political move meant to prove to the Brits that Czechoslovakia had the right to reappear on the map. It demonstrated that we were still a force to be contented with and it’s a little strange that this was filmed by a Brit and not a Czech. This was a project of love for Sean Ellis and that is evident throughout the movie. The beginning is rather slow, but this gives Kubiš and Gabčík the chance to gain sympathy with the viewer, and the year 1941 certainly wasn’t all hustle and bustle. The range of different accents didn’t bother me, and could be expected due to the international cast. Super acting, Dornan tries very hard, Murphy in Shelby mode (from Peaky Blinders) and both of the girls are really fine. The atmosphere of fear and anticipation works perfectly and the bloodbath finale in the church is both naturalist and full of despair. Just that dumb piano toward the end spoils things. A decently filmed piece of history which, despite minor flaws, is on a level with the competition. (28/09/2016)

The assassination of Heydrich is undoubtedly a very strong theme, which this time was taken up by several countries, which had both advantages and disadvantages. For me personally, the biggest stumbling block was the unconvincing and dull performance of the actors in the first two thirds of the film, which was to some extent also caused by the fact that none of the actors used their mother tongue. I would honestly put the romantic line aside completely, because I found it mostly redundant. Nevertheless, the film picks up from the interrogations and the final church siege was very well shot and staged. Pity about the lacklustre and uninteresting (two-thirds of the way through) start. (07/04/2020)

One star for the convincing-looking Heydrich and K. H. Frank and for casting Jan Budař as Chlumsky. In terms of historical accuracy, it deserves to be booed. The film is inspired by historical events, but only uses a rough outline and names. Already in the opening, the transport of Gabčík and Kubiš to Prague without the necessary documents and in a truck was ridiculous. The resistance equips the paratroopers with cyanide capsules (funny). Many parts of the story were obviously taken from the memoirs of Ladislav Vaněk, who knew hardly anything about the assassination when the war had ended, but his role in the whole operation grew exponentially as the years went by. If he hadn't died, he probably would have convinced everyone that he had planned the assassination and given the order himself. The whole film is in fact a kind of Protectorate sci-fi, which eventually turns into Wolfenstein and has the Germans dying by the dozens. A film that I found much more realistic was the Czech TV film Operace Silver A, which drew on reliable historical sources and offered a much better result even without the co-production. (14/11/2016)